This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
I’m going to cut to the chase: meal prep isn’t about being perfect. It’s about making life easier, or, in my opinion, a lot easier. That’s why I usually meal prep on Sundays. When I don’t, I somehow end up standing over the sink, eating crackers for lunch by midweek. Even having just a few things ready to grab can make the whole week feel more manageable. But finding good meal prep ideas is often harder than it should be. This one is meant to be genuinely useful, whether you’re brand new to meal prep or simply looking for fresh ideas to add to your routine.
43 Meal Prep Recipes
I broke it into the categories I actually cook from: breakfasts like egg muffins and quiche, overnight oats and baked oatmeal, lunches you can pack for work or school, grain bowls, chicken meal prep, make-ahead dinners, and snacks. Some come together fast, some take an afternoon, but they’re all easy meal prep recipes I come back to. There’s a solid mix of healthy meal prep recipes in here, plus plenty of vegetarian ones if you don’t cook meat.
I hope this helps you figure out what to make this week!
Meal Prep Ideas for Breakfast
Meal Prep Ideas with Oats
Meal Prep Lunch Recipes
Chicken & Hummus Meal Prep
Simple and easy to make, this grilled chicken and hummus meal prep recipe is perfect for a healthy make ahead lunch to take to school or work
2 hours 25 minutes
PB&J Meal Prep
Healthy and delicious, this peanut butter jelly meal prep idea is perfect for school lunches, and adults too! Simple to make and nutritious.
Tuna Salad Meal Prep
Quick and easy to make, this tuna salad meal prep recipe is a healthy and well balanced lunch idea to try. Perfect to take to school or work.
DIY Pizza Lunchable
Make your own pizza lunch kits at home! Easy to prep, kid-friendly, and customizable with your favorite toppings.
Egg Salad Sandwich
Try this easy Egg Salad Sandwich that you can whip up in 5 minutes! I use greek yogurt instead of mayonnaise along with celery, dijon mustard and lettuce!
Meal Prep Bowls
Rice Bowl Recipe
This vegetarian rice bowl with Greek flavors is made with seasoned basmati rice, chickpeas, Kalamata olives, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, and feta cheese.
Chicken and Quinoa Bowl
An easy weeknight dinner and one of my go-to chicken meal prep recipes, thrown together with leftover quinoa, chicken, whatever vegetables you have, and a handful of nuts.
Chicken Meal Prep Recipes
Meal Prep Recipe Ideas for Dinner
Ground Beef Casserole
This comforting ground beef casserole (aka hamburger casserole) is a family favorite made with simple ingredients for an easy weeknight dinner.
Sheet Pan Gnocchi Recipe
Pre-made gnocchi, mixed veggies, a little olive oil, and seasoning, tossed together and roasted in the oven. One of those hands-off meal prepping recipes for nights I don’t want to think about dinner.
Quinoa Stuffed Peppers Recipe
Easy, vegetarian quinoa stuffed peppers have 20g of protein per serving and are made with white quinoa, black beans, corn, fire-roasted tomatoes, and simple spices, topped with cheese and baked in the oven.
1 hour 10 minutes
Beef Stroganoff
This creamy homemade Beef Stroganoff is amazing with tender beef and mushrooms and finished with Greek yogurt over egg noodles. It’s so good!
2 hours 55 minutes
Sheet Pan Salmon Recipe
Easy sheet pan salmon baked with a lemon Parmesan topping. Serve it with potatoes and green beans, or bake the salmon on its own. One of the healthy meal prep recipes I lean on for a quick dinner.
Teriyaki Beef Stir Fry Recipe
This teriyaki beef stir fry combines flank steak or skirt steak with broccoli, onion, red pepper, soy sauce, ginger, and garlic in one skillet that’s ready in 30 minutes.
Meal Prepping Recipes for Snacks
Date Snickers
A popular TikTok recipe made with fewer than five ingredients: Medjool dates, peanut butter, nuts, and dark chocolate. One of the easy meal prep recipes to keep stashed for a sweet craving
Chocolate Peanut Butter Granola Bar Recipe
These easy, chocolate peanut butter granola bars are made with rolled oats, peanut butter, peanuts, and mini chocolate chips set in a 9×9 baking dish to set.
2 hours 30 minutes
Cheese & Fruit Snack Box
These Starbucks Copycat cheese and fruit snack boxes take minutes to prep and are perfect for school & work. Healthy and easy to make your own
Pizza Bites Recipe
Homemade pizza bites made with Greek yogurt dough, fresh basil, black olives, and shredded mozzarella, baked in a muffin tin and ready in 30. A good meal prep lunch recipe for packing into lunchboxes.
No Bake Pumpkin Balls
These No Bake Pumpkin Balls are vegan, gluten-free and easy to make! They have a cake-like texture and are such a healthy fall treat to try!
Tips for Making Meal Prep Recipes
- Pick a good variety of meals. Food boredom is real, so don’t feel like you will get stuck eating the same meals day in and day out. Pick out around 20 meals (breakfasts, lunches, and dinners) that you like and keep rotating them around for variety.
- Make a calendar. Make a monthly menu for yourself for breakfasts, lunches, and dinners. You can easily see where leftovers can be used when you have everything written down. To help with budgeting, it’s often good to make a double batch of a meal and enjoy it later in the week or enjoy lighter lunches over a few days. In fact, this is one of my favorite tips for meal prepping for beginners!
- Make a shopping list. The key to successful meal planning is to prep ahead so that you always know what you are picking up from the store so you have everything on hand.
- Buy a mix of fresh and frozen produce. It’s great to include fresh foods in your diet, but frozen is still great quality and much more convenient, and often more budget-friendly. Stock up your freezer with frozen veggies, fruits, and meats so that you don’t have to worry about using them up quickly.
- Choose a day to cook up your food. Choose one day a week to cook up the majority of your meals for the week. Batch cook recipes and portion them out so that all you have to do is grab and reheat them for an easy dinner.
- Choose some freezer-friendly meals. The freezer is your friend! Soups, chilis, stews, pies, and so much more are great for freezer meals. Make big batches to freeze and enjoy over the weeks. Be sure to check out my guide on How to Make Freezer Meals for Families.
FAQs
Hearty grains like rice and quinoa and pre-cooked proteins like chicken or beef freeze well. Additionally, pantry staples like beans, lentils, and other legumes are great options for freezing. Avoid freezing ingredients with high water content and delicate textures like lettuce or dairy.
